What is the best golf score ever recorded?

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The lowest golf score officially recorded was a 55, most recently achieved in 2012 by Australian golfer Rhein Gibson at the Rivers Oak Golf Club in Oklahoma. At least three other golfers have scored a 55. The lowest golf score in a modern-era professional tournament is a 58, achieved by Ryo Ishikawa on the Japan Golf Tour in 2010.

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Gibson's round is the one recognized by the Guinness World Records as the lowest golf score in history because it is the only 55 scored on a golf course that is at least 6,500 yards long. The first 55 was scored by E.F. Stauggard in Montebello, California. The second was achieved by Homero Blancas during the Premier Invitational at Longview, Texas. While Blancas' score is the only 55 scored during an official tournament, the course was too short to achieve the world record. The third 55 was scored by Steve Gilley in Martinsville, Virginia.

Ishikawa's 58 was scored in The Crowns tournament at Nagoya Golf Club; the course barely passed Guinness' minimum length requirement. The lowest score in a PGA Tour tournament is 59. Several famous golfers have achieved the feat, including David Duval, Stuart Appleby and Jim Furyk. Annika Sorenstam is the only female golfer to achieve a 59 in a professional tournament.